Kings Dominion gets an early start on Halloween scares

Driving the scare: This year's Halloween Haunt once again features five scare zones, hundreds of monsters roving the park and six haunted mazes — including a Diablo video game-themed one, per Kings Dominion.

• There will also be nighttime rides, like Rapterra, which will run after dark with Halloween lighting, fog and sound effects.

Not into the spook? By day, Halloween Haunt Haut will be family-friendly with no scares but plenty of trick-or-treating, costume contests and kid-friendly shows, like high-energy cirque performing skeletons.

If you go: Halloween Haunt runs Friday-Sunday through Nov. 1.

• Tickets start at $45, and maze access costs an extra $10.

Zoom out: If you're looking for a haunt closer to home, you'll have to wait a few more weeks. Most of the local haunted tours don't start until October, though Red Vein opens the last weekend of September.